"The home to everyone is to him his castle and fortress, as well for his defence against injury and violence, as for his repose." ~Edward Coke

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Mask Meld

Around her face
she has wrapped a mask
As time passes
It deteriorates and becomes a thing
of old skin
held together by
duct tape.

Everyday
before she leaves the house
she looks in a mirror
to check that the mask is secure;
she smoothes out the duct tape
and does her best to cover the cracks.

But as the days pass by
and the mask is removed
less and less
it begins to combine with the face.
Emotion spills through cracks
and stains the mask
in ways that cannot be erased.
The mask is a now cracked mirror
with her old self
only a distorted reflection.

When she finally realizes
that her mask has ceased to function
as a mask,
she tries to pull it off,
but it has been part of her
too long and melded into her personality.
What she had originally tried to hide
is no longer hidden,
even if her original goal
is not forgotten.

She wants her mask back.

But now her mask is gone
and her true face has been seen
does she really have the chance
to put on a mask
and fade into the backdrop
again?